Destiny's Last Chance
by HogwartsUnited
Summary: In response to Reptilia28's challenge. Harry dies at 17 and ends up in death's office. Will have manipulative Dumbledore, and a politically powerful Harry.
1. Destiny Inc

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters

This is a response to Reptilia28's challenge:

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Harry Potter was very confused. The last thing he remembered was being in the Forbidden Forest and a flash of green light. Now, however, he appeared to be in an office. It had rows of filing cabinets along the back wall with a large desk in front of them. On the desk was what appeared to be a telephone, a large book, a small monitor, and a nameplate that read "Milo Grimstone". It was the man behind the desk that caught Harry's attention. He was a large man, around 6'3 and probably about 300 pounds. He had slick black hair and a small goatee with almost electric blue eyes covered by bushy eyebrows, and he was glaring at Harry.

"Not again!" the man growled. "Why, Why, Why can't you just stay alive? It's not really that tough," the man raged. "Sure your destiny is a bit tougher than most but Fate wouldn't have given it to you unless you were capable. Just kill the dark tosser, marry your soulmate (some Granger girl), and live to the ripe old of 230 while establishing rights for all magical races. You can do it if you would just stop dying," he complained while Harry looked on stupefied.

"What!?" Harry managed, not sure what was going on. Then something registered. "Soulmate? Hermione? But she's with Ron. And what about Ginny?"

"Don't get me started on those weasels. The greedy little cretins are half of the reason why you keep dying before your time. That manipulative old coot Dumbles is the other half. As for your feelings about Ginny and Granger's attraction to the human food disposal unit, two words. Love Potions," the man explained.

"They wouldn't do that," Harry protested automatically. "And what do you mean keep dying? You make it sound like I've died before, but I would think I would remember some like that. And what is this place anyway?"

"No, you wouldn't remember. Company policy. As for this place, this is my office at Destiny Inc. Here at Destiny, it is our job to see you meet your destiny, be it heaven or hell. Oh, and my name is Milo. As your Grim Reaper, I am in charge of making sure you meet you destiny and get to the right afterlife."

"Ok , then," Harry said hesitantly as he tried to assimilate the information he had been given. "What do you mean when you say 'company policy'?" Harry finally asked.

"You see, every person is given by Fate a list of things they are to accomplish in life and an approximate time in which to fulfill them. Some people have small destinies that have little to no effect on the world; these destinies are classed as type 3 destinies and are the most common. These are your average people. Then you have type 2 destinies. These are the people who impact the world- politicians, entrepreneurs, inventers- peoples whose destinies impact and influence the destinies of a lot of other people. Then, there are the type 1 destinies. This is the rarest of destinies. These are the heroes, the revolutionists, the people that create countries and end wars. The one's whose actions influence the course of history.

Now people who die before the time fate allowed for them, for any reason, are evaluated on whether or not they fulfilled their destiny, the level of their destiny, and the effect their death has on the destiny of others. Should a person's destiny be fulfilled and as long as his or her death doesn't affect the destiny of others that person will be sent on to the appropriate afterlife. If a person's destiny had not be fulfilled then it is determined what type of destiny that person had. If the person had a type 3 destiny, barring a large impact by their death, that person would be sent on to the afterlife. Should a person have a type 2 destiny, it is evaluated what impact the death would have on the world. Should the impact be small or should the person's survival have a negative impact on higher ranked destinies, the person would go on to the afterlife. However, should a person have a type 3 destiny or if the death of a type 2 person has a large negative impact on the world, things get tricky. Such people are needed to keep the world advancing. Therefore, when such a case is determined by Fate's Council the person's, Grim Reaper sends the individual back. However, should a bunch of people be running around talking about how they were given a second chance at life soon people won't take death seriously, expecting to get another chance should they do something stupid and end up dead before their time. Therefore, it is company policy to wipe the memories of those sent back so they don't remember they were dead."

Harry sat silent throughout the explanation as he absorbed what Milo was saying. Finally, Harry asked, "So I won't remember any of this?"

"Normally, you wouldn't. Normally, you would be sent back to the moment you died. However, this time isn't like how it normally is. You have a type 1 destiny and you are on your thirteenth death. This is a rare situation. I can count on one hand the number of people with a type 1 destiny who have prematurely died as many times as you." Milo stated, glaring at Harry again.

"So what does that mean?" Harry asked confused.

"It means that it is time for some drastic action. Thirteen is an unlucky number. No soul can be sent back after its thirteenth death. What's more is that if you fail, not only will the world descend into chaos, but I will be fired. Having a charge die thirteen times is bad enough; that the charge is a type 1 and failed to complete his destiny will see me thrown out of Destiny Inc. Such failures are what causes civilizations to collapse, the Egyptians, the Romans, Camelot." Milo shuttered.

"Oh," Harry stated. "So what is drastic action?"


	2. Drastic Action, Death, and the BoD

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Any ideas you recognize don't belong to me.

**AN:** thanks for the reviews. This is my first fanfiction and I am curious how it will turn out and how other people will view it. I have read a lot of fanfiction and am try to put a unique twist on many common HP themes. Check out my poll to vote on which death you want Harry to return to.

As for character, this will defiantly be manipulative Dumbledoreand I will probably bash Molly, Ginny, and Ron in this story. Ron will be an immature jealous prat and Ginny will be an obsessed fangirl. Molly will be an overbearing, manipulative thief.

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"One moment," Milo reached to pick up the phone on his desk. "Susan. This is Milo. I need form 36-b along with contract 10-k. Please hold redirect all my clients coming in and hold all my calls until further notice. Got a type 1 on his thirteenth that needs dealing with." Milo set down the phone and turned to Harry.

"Drastic action," Milo informed him, "involves sending you back to one of your previous death with your memory intact so you can learn from your mistakes and hopeful not wind up in my office again until after you fulfill your destiny."

"Oh," was Harry's eloquent response. "Which previous death? You said something about me having died thirteen time?"

"Twelve times," Milo corrected. "You are on your thirteenth death. Next time you die will be number thirteen and you will be sent on to your afterlife. But with any luck that won't be for a couple of centuries.

As for your deaths, before Hogwarts you managed to die three times. The first time was when you were five and Vernon got carried away when he learned you told your teacher about your 'cupboard'. Next, you went and died again when you fell from your school roof before the teachers could get you down. You died once again on your eleventh birthday when Vernon accidently shot you.

After starting Hogwarts, it seemed like you couldn't go a full year without landing in my office. First Granger didn't knock over Quirrel and end his jinx. The twins, despite their best efforts, were unable slow down your fall. The next year, Riddle prevented Fawkes from crying on you after the stupid basilisk bit you. As for third year, putting dementors near children has to be the stupidest thing those idiots have ever come up with and that is saying something. At least you got something right by sitting with the only person capable of a Patronus on the train. But a fall from fifty feet is fatal. Then at the end of third year you managed to get kissed. I thought the time-travel solution I came up with to that problem was genius. It allowed you to get far enough away from the demontors to be able cast a Patronus powerful enough to save you and the others. It must be said that if placing demontors at a school where only a handful of teacher can control them was the stupidest thing the British Ministry of Magic has done, making teenagers steal an egg from nesting mother dragons has to be the second. Though credit where it's due, you did a better job than I thought you would. You managed to survive for nearly ten minutes before a swipe of its tail hit you in the chest and knocked you off your broom. A little adjustment on my part and you were just grazed. However, had it been me. I would have stood well out of the way of the dragon and just tried summoning the stupid egg, before risking my life. For that matter, even if the idiots had cast anti-summon charms on it, casting the spell would be enough to be consider participation by the contract which is all you had to do to keep your magic-but we will get to that stupid contract later. Despite everything, you managed to survive the rest of the year without visiting me.

Before I continue to list your deaths, one thing to consider is that seven is another important death. When a charge dies seven times, his or her's Grim Reaper gains the ability to interfere on the mortal plane to prevent the death of their charge. However, this interference is limited to the charge in question. No Reaper is allowed to interfere with free will or anyone who has not in danger of dying. Should a charge die and be sent back, the Reaper in charge of the person's return can make minor modifications to a situation to prevent the death so long as the modifications don't directly cause the death of another person who would have otherwise lived and doesn't interfere with a person's free will.

Part of the reason you survive the rest of your forth year is because the incident with the dragon was your seventh death. After your seventh death, I was able to keep a closer eye on you and do minor interference to try to help you avoid more visits to my office. I managed to extend the life of your gilliweed when you decided to stick around the mervillage, since that stuff only last one hour. As it was, if you had stayed around any longer, you would have drowned since I can only help so much. I also was able to guide your spell to trigger prior incantum at the grave yard. I gave you the image of your friends to help you fight of those dementors, but I was unable to prevent you from running after that godfather of your and only after you wound up here was I allowed to make the werewolf keep a hold of you due to the fact he was willing to protect from his own free will. However, during your possession I was able to help you use your love of Sirius to make him release you before he could do something that caused you to wind up in my office. Sixth year, I was dealing with another client when you completely lost your head around the inferi, bringing you up to ten deaths. After that, I had my assistant watch you whenever I had a client with strict orders to get me if you looked like you were going to do something stupid. I managed to prevent your death once again when I used your wand to break the wand Voldemort was using during that idiotic broom chase. I tried to warn you of the danger in Godric's Hollow did everything but forcible drag you from that house but you didn't listen. Only after you died was I able to get Hermione to get you out of there. I managed to keep you alive, with great difficulty, until you went into that forest and let that bastard kill you," Milo's annoyance and aggravation grew with each death, and Harry didn't dare interrupt to ask question. By the time Milo was done, he was once again glaring at Harry.

"As for which of these deaths you will be sent back to we will discuss that after we do the standard life review," Milo informed him. "After all, I can't expect you to learn from your mistakes to avoid my office if you don't know what your mistakes were after all. Not to mention you need to be aware of the outside influence that can help or hinder your destiny." Milo spun around in his chair. He yanked open a couple of filing cabinets and started pulling out files.

"Ah, here we are," Milo finally said as he turned back to Harry with a stack of files. He set them on his desk and opened the large book Harry had noticed early. Milo flipped through several pages mumbling under his breath until he finally came to a stop. Milo looked back up at Harry and said "This is the Book of Destinies. Every Grim Reaper has one. It keeps track of every event that occurs in life of our charges so we can track how they are doing in fulfilling their destiny and after the seventh death, know when to interfere. These files contain basic information, such as destiny, destiny type, and other useful information, on everyone you have every meet since arriving at Hogwarts. Between these we should come up with a plan to fulfill your destiny and learn what to avoid to prevent you from returning to my office before your time."

Harry stared at the now overflowing desk. Finally he asked, "Where do we start?"


	3. The Manipulation of Dumbledore

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Any ideas you recognize don't belong to me.

**AN:** Keep the reviews coming. Let me know what you think. As of right now the poll shows that I should return Harry to his childhood. I will keep the poll open until Friday at which point I will make my decision

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Milo grinned. "Always best to start at the beginning." Milo tapped the monitor on his desk twice and a picture of grinning, messy black-haired man standing next to a redheaded woman holding a tiny baby in a blue blanket appeared. "July 31, 1980," Milo announced.

Harry stared in awe at the image of his young parents. He watched as the picture started to move. He watch as his father left the room only to come back a few moments later with Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Harry frowned as he saw the last man. He thought Wormtail look a bit nervous. 'Probably already planning on selling us out,' Harry thought viciously. He smiled, however when his mother handed him over to Sirius and laughed as Sirius's head shot up at something his Dad had said. "What did Dad say?" Harry asked Milo.

Milo grinned at him. "He was asking Sirius to be your godfather."

"Really," Harry exclaimed as he continued to watch. After a few minutes, he watched as Sirius handed him to his dad and pull out his wand. He held it upright and said something, then there was a flash of light from the tip of Sirius's wand.

"What did he just do?" Harry wondered.

"That," Milo said, "was the Godfather's Oath. It is tradition in Pureblood families to swear an oath to protect and care for their godchild to the best of their abilities and to never to intentionally do anything that would cause their godchild harm. That flash you saw was Sirius's magic sealing the oath. Had Sirius broken the oath his magic would have killed him."

"So," Harry said slowly, "if Sirius really had been secret keeper and betrayed us to Voldemort…"

"His magic would have killed him the minute he attempted to speak the secret," Milo finished.

"I don't understand," Harry said. "Why did everyone believe Sirius betrayed us and was trying to kill me? Didn't they know about the oath? Remus at least should have known Sirius couldn't have betrayed us due to the oath, but he believed Sirius was guilty until he saw Pettigrew on the map."

"It's true when news of his arrest got out most people assumed he never took the oath. Some wondered, but were unable to confirm anything. As for Remus, he was obliviated of his memory of witnessing the oath."

"What!" Harry exclaimed. "How? Why?"

"Truly, it takes a powerful wizard to obliviate a werewolf." Milo mused. "The spirit of the wolf protects the mind of a werewolf from most mind magics. For example, legilimency will not work on a werewolf no matter how powerful or well-practiced the practitioner. Even a powerful wizard can only obliviate a werewolf a couple times before the werewolf will become completely immune to the spell. As for who obliviated Remus and why, we will get to that later."

Milo tapped the monitor again and the picture changed showing Lily and James in a comfortable looking family room sitting on a couch. Harry was sitting on the floor in front of them play with his toys. It looked to be about 6 months later. Dumbledore was standing in front of the couple looking pensive. He seemed to be telling the couple something and from their expressions, they didn't like what they were hearing. Two taps from Milo later and there was sound.

"_Are you sure it refers to Harry?" Lily asked. _

"_I'm sorry m'dear. Though I cannot say for sure it refers to your son, my spies tell me Voldemort believes it does and he will be coming after you. That is why you must go into hiding. It is for your own protect and for that of young Harry's," Dumbledore replied._

"_But surely we will be safe here," James protested. "After all, the wards on Potter Manor are some of the best in the world."_

"_No wards are infallible," Dumbledore said wisely. "Should you remain here, it is only a matter of time before Voldemort arrives at your doorstep with his followers. Your wards may be able to hold him out for a time but it will only be a matter of time before Voldemort discovers a way to bring them down. No, your only hope is to leave Potter Manor and hide, using a charm to ensure Voldemort cannot find you."_

"_What charm is that?" Lily asked as she and James exchanged glances._

_Dumbledore smiled cheerfully at them. "It is called the Fidelius Charm. It will hide the secret of your location inside the soul of a person of your choosing who does not live in the location, known as the secret keeper. Once the spell is cast no one will be able to find that location unless specifically told by the Secret Keeper where to find it, even if they were standing right in front of it. Neither veritaserum nor legilimency will be able to compel the secret keeper to tell the secret. The secret can only be given freely. Those who are told the secret by the secret keeper will be able to find the location but cannot reveal the location to anyone that doesn't know the secret," Dumbledore explained._

"_Why can't we cast this spell on Potter Manor?" James asked. "Why move?"_

"_I am afraid that the wards on Potter Manor will interfere with the spell so it will have to be cast somewhere else," Dumbledore answered. "I believe that your cottage in Godric's Hollow will work splendidly."_

_James looked skeptical. "Are you absolutely sure there is no way that Moldyshorts will be able to find us using this spell?"_

"_Not unless your secret keeper willingly betrays you," Dumbledore promised._

_James and Lily glanced at each other once again. "We need some time to think about everything," Lily finally said. "Please excuse us."_

"_Of course," Dumbledore said jollily. Lily and James put their heads together as Dumbledore moved toward the door._

As Dumbledore left the room, Harry noticed Dumbledore discreetly pull his wand and point it at Harry's parent. Dumbledore mumbled something Harry couldn't make out and a colorless spell came out of Dumbledore's wand and hit Harry's parent. James and Lily didn't appear to notice. Just as Dumbledore was about to leave the room, James and Lily looked up.

"_Wait," James called out. "We've made our decision. We will move to Godric's Hollow immediately."_

_Dumbledore turned back to them with a sly smile that neither of the couple seemed to notice. "Excellent. We will cast the spell as soon as you are moved in. Have you decided on a secret keeper?"_

_James responded, "We will use Sirius. We will be safest with him. Not only due I trust him with my life, but there is no way he could betray us."_

"_I admire your loyalty, my boy," Dumbledore remarked. "But remember, there is a traitor in the order. You must be wary for the spy."_

"_Sirius is not the spy," James insisted indignantly._

"_James is right," Lily agree. "When James said Sirius can't betray us he meant that literally. Sirius is Harry's oath-bound godfather. He cannot take any action that would put Harry in harm's way- including serve a Dark Lord that wishes to kill Harry."_

_Dumbledore's eyebrows went up. "I was unaware he had already taken the oath. Who were the witnesses?"_

"_Remus and Peter," James answered. "Sirius took the oath the same day as he was named godfather, the day Harry was born."_

Dumbledore looked thoughtful as the picture froze. Harry looked at Milo confused.

"That was the day Dumbledore told your parents about the prophesy and convinced them to move to Godric's Hallow and use the Fidelius charm," Milo explained.

"What's the deal with that place they were talking about- Potter Manor?" Harry asked as his first question.

"That is the Potter Family ancestral home. James wasn't kidding about it being one of the best warded places in the world. The Potter wards are legendary. Every generation of Potters has added to them and the family has a talent for wards. If Voldemort had attacked the Potters there, it would have taken him years to break through the wards if he wasn't destroy trying to take them down." Milo informed Harry.

"If the wards are so good, why did they decide to go to Godric's Hollow?" Harry wondered.

"You noticed that spell Dumbledore cast while they were discussing?" Milo asked.

"Yeah," Harry responded. "What was that about?"

"That was a compulsion charm."

"What!" Harry exclaimed. "Why?"

"Dumbledore wanted them out from behind Potter Manor's wards. There is more that the old goat interfered with as well." As Milo said this, the image on the monitor changed to show Sirius and Dumbledore in Dumbledore's office.

"_Hello Sirius," Dumbledore greeted. "Lemon drop?"_

"_No thanks sir. What did you want to talk about?"_

"_The Potter's mentioned that they were thinking about making you Secret Keeper," Dumbledore responded. _

"_Yes sir. No one will get their location out of me. I would die first." Sirius proclaimed._

_Dumbledore nodded gravely. Then, quick as lightning Dumbledore drew his wand and cast a spell on Sirius. "You will convince the Potters to switch Secret Keeper to Peter Petegrew. Tell them that you will lay a false trail and make sure everyone thinks you are Secret Keeper. Convince them to tell no one of the switch. Not even Remus. You can't trust him."_

_Sirius's eyes where glazed over as he repeated back what Dumbledore had told him. Dumbledore then broke the spell and put his wand away._

_Sirius shook his head as if just waking from a deep sleep. "I'm sorry sir. I must have drifted off. Was there anything else?"_

"_No, my boy, you may go."_

Once again the scene froze. Harry sat in front of the monitor shaking. "Did he know?" Harry asked. "Did Dumbledore know that Petegrew was the traitor?" Harry clarified when Milo looked at him. Slowly the comments Milo had made about the compulsion charm on his parents and how only a powerful wizard could obliviate Remus sunk in. He remembered earlier, how Milo said something about a 'manipulative old coot' being partly responsible for his early deaths. He began to realize that Dumbledore wasn't the perfect, leader of the light Harry thought he was. He began to suspect Dumbledore was as much responsible for his parents' deaths as Voldemort. The only question was why?

"Yes," Milo stated bluntly. "Petegrew was never much of an occlumist and Dumbles routinely scan the mind of his followers and students. Dumbledore knew the moment Peter changed sides but didn't say anything so that he could use Petegrew as another pawn to pass information the information he want to Voldemort. He needed you and your parents out of the way. The prophesy messed everything up for him. He wanted to be the one to defeat Voldemort to gain even more political power and seal his place as the Leader of the Light, Hero of the Wizarding World. Dumbledore planned how to discover who was the prophesy child by setting up the families of the two babies who met the criteria and see which child was mark. Should the child survive the attack, Dumbledore plan to manipulate that child into a weapon to destroy Voldemort while dying in the process. Dumbledore would then step forward and claim credit for training the hero that defeated Voldemort."

Harry was furious. "How could he justify what he has done? He is as bad, no worse, than Voldemort. Everyone knows you can't trust Voldemort. Dumbledore makes people trust him then stabs them in the back!" Harry raged. "At least Voldemort is honest about being a Dark Lord."

"Although Dumbledore is, without a doubt, unscrupulous, he truly believes himself to be Light. He may set up his pawns for death but he never kills himself nor does he advocate for his followers to kill. In truth, Dumbledore see himself as making appropriate sacrifices to lead the world out of Darkness in to the Light. Everything he does is for 'the greater good'. He believes that his way is the only way for the good of the world and will do anything to achieve his goals He believes himself God." Milo explained to Harry. "What doesn't cross the old fools mind is that he isn't God and it isn't his place to decide who lives and dies. The reason he has gotten away with what he has is because mortals have this foolish believe that light equals good while dark equals evil. The fact that that is not true is something you will need to learn before you go back. Both dark and light have their place in the world; neither is strictly good or evil. Only intentions can decide whether a person or a spell is good or evil. Every person and almost every spell can both help or hurt depending on how one acts, even the so called light and dark spell. But that is enough philosophy for now. We can come back to it later is necessary. We need to move on."

With that the picture once again changed and Harry leaned forward to learn what other ways Dumbledore had used him.


	4. Manipulations Revealed

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter or any of it characters. If you see any ideas you recognize they don't belong to me.

**AN**: Sorry for the wait. I had major writer's block on this chapter. Thanks for all of the reviews. One person asked about an update schedule. I will post when the chapter is finished. I will try for a chapter a week. I have just started a couple of college class so it might be closer to a chapter a month. These chapters are un-betaed and as such will more than likely have grammar mistakes. My most common mistake when I am writing is to forget to type the verb endings. I will do my best to proofread but no promises. As for sending Harry back, it looks like Harry will return to his childhood. Thanks for voting

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Harry wasn't surprised when the monitor showed Dumbledore cast the Fidelius charm with Peter Petegrew as secret keeper. It was just more proof that Dumbledore deliberately let Sirius rot in Azkaban. Not that Harry needed it after the revelation of the last scene. Harry paled as the next scene was shown. It was the cottage on that Halloween night just after the attack. Harry was slightly relieved that at least he didn't have to watch the attack again. Harry watched as Hagrid arrived and Harry couldn't help but wonder how Hagrid knew when and where to arrive. Shortly after Hagrid entered the cottage, Sirius arrived on his motorbike. Sirius ran up to the destroyed cottage. Although there was no sound this time Harry saw Sirius mouthing, "No, no no, oh god, please no." Sirius moved through the wreckage until he found James in the entry. Harry could only watch as Sirius fell apart in grief over the death of his all-but-blood brother. He watched as Sirius covered James and continued up the stairs to the nursery where he ran into Hagrid who was coming down with baby Harry in his arms. Harry watch as Sirius and Hagrid argued for several minutes until Sirius finally seemed to concede. When they left the cottage Sirius went to where he left his motorbike and brought it over to Hagrid. Sirius said something and Hagrid got on the bike with baby Harry and took off. Sirius watched them for a few minutes, then turned in place and disappeared. Once again the scene paused. This time Harry asked his questions, "How did Hagrid know to come and what did he and Sirius argue about?"

"Good questions," Milo told him. "As for why Hagrid was there, Dumbledore put monitoring charms on your family and the Longbottom's, as well as on your houses. When Voldemort attacked, Dumbles monitoring charms on the cottage went off. The charms proceeded to let him know when you father and mother died and about the spell backlash that destroyed Riddle. They also showed that you were still alive. When several minutes passed without anything happening, he decided to send Hagrid to check what had happened and to bring you to Hogwarts. That was also what Sirius and Hagrid were fighting about. As your godfather, Sirius was your legal guardian in the event of your parents' death. By law, Hagrid should have given you to Sirius. However, Dumbledore told Hagrid to bring you to Hogwarts and Hagrid would never disobey Dumbledore. Sirius eventually accepted that Hagrid wouldn't hand you over and figured you would be safe at Hogwarts for the time being so he let Hagrid have his motorbike to get you there quickly and safely. Without you to give him a focus beyond his grief, he decided to track down Petegrew. You know how well that turned out." Milo informed Harry.

Milo tapped the monitor and it showed Dumbledore standing in front of Privet Drive. "While you were at Hogwarts, Dumbledore was getting his ducks in a row by obliviating Lupin and sealing your parents will. He then assigned himself as your magical guardian. Then, to Dumbledore's delight, Sirius managed to get himself arrest. Dumbledore testified against Sirius and arranged things that no one would look too deeply into Sirius case. By evening, Sirius was sent to Azkaban and Dumbledore headed to Privet Drive to meet Hagrid as he had arranged that morning." Milo narrated. "After escorting Hagrid and McGonagall back to Hogwarts and managing to ditch them, he returned to Privet Drive to set up the wards around the place."

"The blood wards?" Harry interrupted.

"Those blood wards aren't that great kid. They most assuredly would have been worthless after Voldiewarts took your blood in the graveyard-if they ever work, which is unlikely because this specific type of blood ward is powered by loved, both love given and love received by those connect by the blood. Dumbles had enough sense to realize how weak those wards would be so he added a couple of other protection wards in with all the monitoring wards he placed."

"I take it Dumbledore knew exactly how the Dursley treated me," Harry commented wryly.

"Of course he did," Milo scoffed. "Dumbledore kept a close eye on what happened to you. He felt that you treatment was a good thing, that it would make you more malleable. He made sure you weren't moved by oblivating anyone who would try to help you before they could do anything."

Harry had passed angry a while ago and was now impervious to how Dumbledore had wronged him. "What else is there?" he asked resigned.

"While next is your first death and the very farthest I can send you back. There isn't much to discuss about your time in Durskaban. Should you decide to go back to your first or second death we can cover the changes you can make then, for now, let us continue.

Your next interaction with the wizarding world is when Hagrid delivers your letter. Let see if you can take this one," Milo challenge.

"Hagrid has a good heart," Harry defended his first friend. "But I admit he is probably the last person I would send to introduce someone muggle raised to the wizarding world. He only told me about things I asked about, not realizing how much I didn't know. He didn't even think to tell me how to enter the platform."

"That is exactly what Dumbledore wanted. By having Hagrid introduce you to the wizarding world, Dumbledore achieved three thing in his bid to control you. First, as you pointed out, Hagrid failed to provide you with basic information that most muggleborn students are given when introduce to their new world. Dumbledore knew it would never occur to Hagrid to tell you about some of the most basic customs and knowledge that all wizarding children are raised knowing. Along with not telling you basic information, Hagrid kept you from learning that information on you own because Dumbledore made sure Hagrid would only allow you to buy what was on your school list and nothing else. Dumbledore gave a spiel about how Hagrid should make sure you don't go wasting your money on non-essentials. In truth, Dumbledore wanted to keep you from buying books that would give you more information than he wanted you to have. After all the best way to control people is to control their access to information and to keep them ignorant.

The second reason for sending Hagrid was so he could impress his loyalty for Dumbledore and his hatred for all things Slytherin on you. Knowing how you were treated at the Dursleys', Dumbledore knew you would view whoever gave you a chance to get away from them as a hero. He also knew that after the Dursleys, you would latch on to the first people to show you kindness. By sending Hagrid as your rescuer and knowing Hagrid would praise Dumbledore and tell you how great he is, he planted the seeds to get you to trust and obey him without question. He also knew Hagrid's opinion about the houses and knew that you would believe whatever Hagrid told you because he rescued you, thus setting you on the path be a good little Griffindor and to hate and fear all those in Slytherin and to want nothing to do with the house of the cunning and ambitious. Your meeting Draco Malfoy was an added bonus since it helped turn you off Slytherins.

The third reason for sending Hagrid was Gringotts. You can probably guess partly why he wanted you and Hagrid to go to Gringotts together."

"Because of the stone," Harry stated. "It was a test all along wasn't it. Hermione was right. Dumbledore want me to go after the stone to test his weapon."

"That is correct," Milo admitted. "However, that was only part of the reason. The other part was to keep you from talking to the goblins and to make you look bad in front of the goblins."

"I don't understand," Harry said.

"Hagrid isn't the most diplomatic person and he knows nothing about proper goblin etiquette. The impression Hagrid gave the goblins when he emptied his pockets to find your key was rude and disorganized. Goblins hate wasting time and hate messes. As he was with you, that impression carried over to you. Your ignorance kept you from correcting that impression. As a result, you lost your chance to earn the goblins respect and create an alliance. Should you have spoken with the goblins they would have realized that you weren't receiving your mail and were not informed of your inheritance. Their honor would have had them correct both situation and investigate why you were uninformed. They also would have looked closer at your accounts. Both are situations Dumbledore could not have. Because of your first impression, the goblins would not make the first move and your lack of knowledge would prevent you from correcting those mistakes." Milo explained.

"Dumbledore's next attempt to mold you came in the form of the Weasleys. Shortly after placing you with the Dursleys, Dumbledore made a deal with Molly and created a marriage contract between you and Ginny. We will discuss how to break it later. Along with the contract, Dumbledore agreed to use your money to pay the Weasley children's tuition and would pay Molly, Ronald, and Ginny to spy on you and to get you to do what Dumbledore wants, again with your money."

Once again Harry was furious and hurt. "What about the other Weasleys?" Harry demanded. "You said that Molly, Ron and Ginny were paid but what about the other? Where the twins part of this? Bill? Charlie? Mr. Weasley? What about Percy?"

"Only Molly, Ron, and Ginny knew about the contract and the deal with Dumbledore. The rest of the Weasleys have no idea. We will get into the Weasleys more when we go over your allies and enemies later." Milo reassured him. "For now let us continue. Obviously your meeting at Kings Cross was a set up. Dumbledore knew that Hagrid had not told you how to get on the platform and used that fact as a chance to get you in with the Weasleys. After all, considering the fact that Molly has been sending her children to Hogwarts for years and had attend for seven years herself you would think she would know the platform number. It's not like it has changed since it was built. She was trying to get your attention. Ron deliberately sought you out on the train to fulfill his part and become your friend while continuing to convince you that Slytherin was evil and make you want to be a Griffendor. He was to convince you that studying was stupid and to prevent you from making any other friends."

Harry fumed at the betrayal by his so-called best mate. He thought over his time at Hogwarts and how Ron was always complaining about doing homework and would convice Harry to put off studing to play chess or talk about quidich.

"Forewarned is forarmed." Milo reminded him. "This time around you can prevent Ron from chasing away those who want to befriend you. It is important that you have allies if you want to succeed. Ron would make a smear campaign against you whenever your back was turn that made your life harder than it had to be."

Harry and Milo spent hours going over Harry school years and discovering how each of Harry's adventures were set up and different ways Harry sould have responded to the situations he was thrust in. Milo point out how Quirrel, Lockhart, and Snape played into Dumbles manipulations. Milo told Harry how Dumbledore could have handle the troubles that occurred throught Harry's time at Hogwarts had Dumbledore been interested in doing his jobs properly. Milo pointed out how Dumbles having Harry save Sirius in third year helped Dumbledore manipulate the both of them. Every mistake was pointed out, explained, and traced back to Dumbledore and his minions. Milo also pointed out ways the problems in Harry's life could have been avoided. By the end, Harry was seething.

Finally the review ended. There was silence as Harry came to terms with how badly he had been played. After several moments had past, Milo spoke, "Now that we have seen how your life got off-track, it is time to plan how to get it back on track. First we will go over these files to identify who you should ally with and who you should watch out for, then we'll choose a time to send you back and discuss the best plan of action."

Harry nodded and determination burned in his eyes. "Let's get started."


	5. Suprising Allies

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Any ideas you recognize don't belong to me.

**AN**: Sorry for the long wait. I have been taking classes and didn't have a lot of time to write. I won't abandon the story but don't count on regular updates. Reviews do motivate me to write, so as long as my readers keep reviewing, I will keep writing.

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The list of potential allies Milo went over was surprising to Harry. It also re-enforced how much Harry didn't know about the wizarding world and its customs. He knew that Suzan Bones aunt was the Head of the DMLE, but he had been unaware that Susan, as well as Neville for that matter, was the heir to an ancient and noble house. Harry hadn't even known what it meant to be an heir to such a house. Learning that the Potters, Bones, and Longbottoms had been long-time ally and often worked together to pass legislation in the Wizengmont was a revelation for Harry. When he asked why Neville or Susan hadn't mentioned the connection between their families, Milo informed him that Neville and Susan had thought he had already known and choosen not to associate with them. Ron didn't help and managed to chase them off whenever they tried to speech to you. Despite that, both of them had remained true to the spirit of the alliance by supporting and helping Harry when he asked. Harry remembered the way Neville tried to warn him about Malfoy the night he got rid of Norbert and how Neville tried to keep him from getting in trouble when he went after the stone. He realized that Neville had always been a true friend to him and was ashamed at how he had brushed the other boy off.

The other surprise for Harry was the number of Slytherins Milo thought would be good allies for him. He had to admit that Greengrass, Davis, and Zambini had never seemed to be part of Malfoy's crowd and realized that he need to stop thinking of all Slytherins as evil like Dumbledore had programed him to. Just the thought of Dumbledore made Harry angry and he swore to himself that this time he wouldn't be blinded or bound by Houses.

While Harry could understand making friends with the neutral trio, he was shocked when Milo suggested he consider a friendship with Theo Nott. "But his father is a Death Eater!" Harry exclaimed.

"Just because a father is sycophantic arse-kisser of that megalomaniac doesn't mean the son is." Milo countered. "Theo is the ultimate Slytherin. He prefers cunning over brute force and respects intelligence and talent without regards to blood status. He hates his father's master and believes that anyone who follows Voldemort is an idiot. Theo bows to no-one but is not about to risk his neck by saying so to his father or his father's friends. Theo would be more than happy to get rid of what he sees as the bane of Slytherin House, but he is not a brash Gryffindor. He isn't going to shout his intention from the rooftop. He will attempt to reach his goal with cunning and stealth. If you could convince him to work with you, he would make a great ally and give you access to inside information from the Death Eater families."

Harry thought that over. If Milo was right about Theo being against Voldemort, his connection could be useful. Harry was wary of what Theo's politics might be and what Theo would want in exchange for his help. He believed Milo when he said that Theo was the ultimate Slytherin. His help wouldn't be free. A true Slytherin looks out for himself first. For Theo to help, there would have to be something in it for him that he couldn't get for himself. Harry understood enough of the true Slytherin mindset to accept that. While Griffendors are bold, caution is a Slytherin's watchword. With all this going through his mind, Harry decided to keep an open mind and see where it takes him after he returned.

After several hours, Harry had a clear idea of who could help him and how. He also knew who he needed to avoid. Armed with this information, it was time for him to return. The only question now was: how far back should he go?

Harry knew that he had no intention of going back after Sirius had died, so that left his first seven deaths. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that early was better. There was so much that needed to be done and so many things he could have done better had he just known what he knows now. He also need to prepare before he saw Dumbledore and the traitors again. With this in mind, he realized his best bet was to go back to some point before he started Hogwarts so he had time to prepare. His only hesitation was that he didn't want to spend any more time with the Dursleys than he had to. With this thought, Harry turned to Milo. "I think that, with everything that needs to be done and changed, I will need to return to a time before I started Hogwarts, but how am I supposed to do anything while I am locked up in Durskaban?"

"I agree that earlier is better," confirmed Milo. "There is no need to stay at the Dursley however. Once you return, you can head to Potter Manor. The wards are excellent so you won't have to worry about security and you will be able to access the Potter library, not to mention the help that the Potter Portraits can provide."

"How can I get to Potter Manor?" Harry asked.

Milo thought. "I suppose that you will be too young for apparition. You could take the Knight Bus but you have no wand to summon it and that would lead to questions. I suppose the best way would be to summon a Potter Elf. You will have to be away from Privet Drive. If you could get out of Little Whinging all together that would be even better. Dumbledore would have put up wards to prevent your elves from finding you, but if you are far enough away from the wards the elves should hear you if you call. Once you are away from the wards call for Mipsy. She should be able to take you home."

Harry blinked. He wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that the Potters owned houses elves, but he knew from his experiences with Dobby and Kreature just how useful having a house elf on your side could be. He would just be very careful when he explained house elves to Hermione.

"It is time." Milo told him. "Have you chosen when you would like to go back?"

Harry answered. "I need time to prepare so it will have to be one of my first two deaths. I think that I should go with my second death. I will have four years to prepare and I will be able to leave immediately without having to see the Dursleys. If I went with my first death, I would have to deal with the Dursleys until I recovered enough to leave and I can't see that ending well. Beside, while people might overlook a seven-year-old without an obvious minder, they will most likely question a five year old that has no visible supervision."

"Very well then. Good luck and I better not see you for another two hundred years."

With that, Harry felt a strange sensation and everything went black.


End file.
